The Kota

by Sunshine Somerville

  “Thank you,” she told him.

  “I’m sorry.” Revenant looked at his sister before facing Bullseye again. “Anya was so young. She…”

  “You don’t owe me an apology. Not ever. I can never apologize enough for what I did to your family.”

  Revenant took a deep breath and nodded down at her.

  Sid turned to Miller. “Sir, we’d better clear out. We need to get the commanders to Undertown.”

  Miller snapped into action. He saluted Bullseye before leading his team to depart. Revenant and Anya went with them. Soon they disappeared in the shadows.

  Tigris turned to Bullseye. “Are you okay?”

  Bullseye winced and held her ribcage. “No.” Giving up, she bent over a pile of rubble and vomited into the dirt. The heaving shot pain through her side, and her head swooned. When she finished, she straightened up again for air. “Let’s head out.”

  Gun raised, Rave led the way up the bank in the direction of their hummer. Tigris tried to help Bullseye walk, but Whitewolf stepped forward and scooped her up. Bullseye winced but thanked him.

  I feel a little better, she thought. Now, what was I trying to remember? Oh!

  “Guys, we need a plan to rescue the prisoners those operatives came to escort.”

  Ahead, Rave snickered. “Looked to us like the prisoners were rescuing themselves. We left because they came charging over the bridge and would’ve accidentally taken us out along with the operatives we were fighting.”

  “Not those prisoners,” she said. “Some were held separately under tighter guard. I ran into two operatives in charge of the escort. We have to rescue those prisoners. They could be important.”

  “Who are they?” asked Whitewolf.

  Bullseye looked at Tigris where she walked beside them. “They’re un-factors.”

  Tigris’s eyes widened.

  “The Dominion wants them back at the Capitol. That can’t be good. Silver Eye will take them by transport vehicle. I’m guessing she and her soldiers will flee the prison pretty soon.”

  Rave led them onto the overgrown street where they’d hidden their hummer. “So you want to chase them down?”

  “We won’t catch them before they reach Capital City. Besides, by now Silver Eye’s called for reinforcements. That means even more soldiers will meet them on the road and escort them the rest of the way. What we need is to get people in position to cut off that transport before they reach Capital City.”

  Rave kicked a rock in their path. “Sand. We have to ask the Underground for help, don’t we?”

  “Yep.”

  Rave tapped controls on his glove’s wrist, and ahead their hummer shimmered out of stealth mode. Tigris opened the passenger door for Whitewolf to deposit Bullseye. Inside, she sat back in the cool seat and tried to relax her sore body while the others piled in.

  In the driver’s seat, Whitewolf started the engine.

  Bullseye turned her sore head to him. “Start driving to the capital. I’ll contact Cagod on the way to see if there’s a team available in the right location.”

  “What if Cagod refuses?” Whitewolf drove into the abandoned street.

  A flash outside drew their attention to Pitt Prison in the distance. The island looked like a war zone as gunfire illuminated the night sky in flashes.

  Bullseye huffed. “I’d say he owes us.”

  Whitewolf dropped the crumpled body of an operative on the side of the road. His heart pounding, he looked around for any left alive.

  The early morning light allowed him to scan the hilly fields along the road, but he didn’t see any escaping Dominion soldiers. A handful of Dominion vehicles clogged the road, each pinned by Underground trucks. Underground soldiers swept the scene, checking fallen Dominion soldiers.

  Seeing the area was secured, Whitewolf turned to the Dominion transport vehicle. The large truck was parked behind an overturned speeder, which sat on the edge of a small crater where an Underground tanker had launched a mortar shell. The transport itself looked undamaged.

  Hope everyone inside is okay, thought Whitewolf. We need to get these prisoners to safety before the Dominion finds out about this.

  Rave was already working to override the transport’s locks. Whitewolf kept his gun raised to stand cover, just in case. The prisoners inside the transport must’ve heard the skirmish, but there was no sound from inside. Rave hurried to tear out wires from the door’s locking mechanism, and he twisted others together.

  “That operative woman got away,” said Whitewolf. “She used a flamethrower on the soldiers that went after her and… Well, it wasn’t pretty. She stole an Underground jeep and drove off before I could reach her.”

  “She the only one?”

  “As far as I can tell. It’ll be awhile before she reaches an outpost to report what happened. By that time-”

  “Got it!” Rave unlocked the transport door, and he opened it wide.

  Inside, long benches lined either side of the vehicle. Ten people sat on the benches, looking fearfully back at Rave and Whitewolf. There was even a small, dark-skinned little boy, and his mother held him while he sobbed.

  Rave and Whitewolf exchanged a look.

  “It’s okay,” called Whitewolf. “We’re here to help. Come out.”

  The frightened prisoners hesitated, but a few stood up and moved toward the exit. Rave whistled for the Underground soldiers. Soon soldiers crowded around and helped Whitewolf coax the prisoners outside to the ground.

  “Mommy!” The little boy held his arm, and fresh tears trickled down his cheeks.

  The woman looked around in desperation. “Someone help my son! He’s hurt!”

  A soldier with a med kit ran to them. “Here, come with me.”

  Poor kid, thought Whitewolf.

  Once the last prisoner emerged, soldiers began inspecting them and asking for names. The prisoners appeared dazed, looking around at the aftermath of their rescue. Some answered the soldiers’ questions. Others were too traumatized to do so.

  A commander yelled to his men, “Load them in the trucks! Let’s get these people to safety!”

  Whitewolf left them to it and looked to where the Warriors had parked their ride. They’d caught up with the Dominion transport, escorts, and reinforcements only after the Underground cut them off. Bullseye and Tigris had remained behind at a safe distance.

  Whitewolf jogged back to their hummer and climbed into the driver’s seat. Beside him, Bullseye was using the hummer’s link with their base’s transmitter. Tigris sat in the back, and she looked at Whitewolf with concern.

  Over the transmitter, Cagod’s voice was saying, “I appreciate your observations, but we have protocols to follow.”

  What’s this about? thought Whitewolf.

  “Sir,” said Bullseye, “you can’t just dump these people off somewhere. You need to place them under protection at Undertown.”

  “Some of the un-factored prisoners were Dominion operatives,” Cagod countered. “We can’t be certain they aren’t still working for-”

  “Are you kidding me?” Bullseye looked like she wanted to throw something, even with her arm in a sling. She tried to calm down. “No one would work for the Dominion after being factored. You can’t leave these people to be arrested again. The Dominion will slay them – they were probably being shipped to Capital City for a public demonstration. You have to protect them, sir. Isn’t that the point of the Underground – to save the oppressed?”

  “We take in many refugees already, as you know. There’s a process. We can’t save everyone.”

  And yet, thought Whitewolf, you sent us on a suicide mission to rescue those commanders.

  Bullseye once again argued the point the Warriors had tried to make for months. “But un-factors might hold answers about the DRK treatment. What if your scientists could find the treatment component in their blood? Sir, it’s only from un-factors like these that we rebels have any hope of finding the treatment. We can’t let this opportunity pass us by.” S
he took a breath. “You must protect these people. You-”

  Cagod cut her off. “You seem to forget, young lady, that you’re in no position to give me orders.”

  Whitewolf exchanged a look with his sister. ‘Young lady’ was not something one called Bullseye.

  But, the issue at hand was more important than her pride, and Bullseye stopped herself from screaming at Cagod. Instead, she opened her door and jumped out. She slammed the door and started pacing outside.

  Tigris teleported into the front seat to take Bullseye’s place. “Commander Cagod, this is the Warrior Seer,” she said quickly. “I understand your concerns for safety, but what if I interviewed each of these prisoners? If any are working for the Dominion, I’ll know. But, if I clear them, you’d be safe to take them into Undertown. Would that work?” She looked over at Whitewolf.

  There was a pause as Cagod discussed this with his other commanders in the background. When he spoke into the transmitter again, he said, “Yes, that’d be acceptable. I’ll order Commander Miller to rejoin you in Phili. He’ll oversee your interviews. If the prisoners receive Miller’s approval, we’ll talk about putting them in protective custody.”

  Tigris let out a breath. “Thank you, sir. We’ll head for Phili with your men and the un-factors. Have Commander Miller contact us with the location.”

  Cagod gave a cursory farewell and ended the transmission.

  Tigris turned to Whitewolf. “How’d the people look to you?”

  “Like they’ve been through hell.” He watched through the windshield as the soldiers finished loading prisoners into trucks.

  Tigris opened her door. “I’ll get Bullseye. I already signaled Rave.” She hopped out and closed the door.

  Whitewolf faced the wheel. He saw Rave jogging back.

  This, thought Whitewolf, might be our last mission with the Underground for a while. Cagod hasn’t listened to us about prioritizing the DRK. Bullseye’s kept the peace because we need allies for the factor base mission, but she isn’t going to let him boss us around anymore. They need a…break.

  Rave opened the passenger door and jumped in. He looked out his window to where Tigris was trying to calm their Leader. “What’s up?”

  “Bulls put her foot down with Cagod.”

  This was enough explanation for Rave, and he nodded. “It’s about time.”

  24

  “Secrets”

  Tigris was on her ninth interview. It wasn’t going as they’d hoped.

  The Warriors had met Commander Miller at an abandoned grade school in a Phili suburb. The Underground soldiers were gentle with the traumatized prisoners and secured them in an old classroom with blankets, food, and water. Here they waited until taken individually to an office where Tigris and Miller interviewed them. The only problem was…

  His infected body is freezing with the DRK fever. He snarls and tries to bite the factored woman beside him as they’re loaded onto a transport. The transport’s engines fire, and the vehicle lifts into the air toward the Mainland-Euro DuoPort. The factors lose their balance as the transport enters the zero gravity of the portal. He vomits his last meal and tumbles against the transport wall. In a moment of sane clarity, he looks out and sees a ship. Then, Tigris hit a wall in the man’s mind. That’s exactly what it felt like – a mental wall.

  Tigris blinked away from the man across the desk. She looked up at Miller where he stood beside her. “Same as with the others. As soon as I get to memories of the Magi ship, I’m kicked out.”

  The un-factored man hugged the blanket around his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember any more.” He looked frightened by his lack of memory.

  They all look like that, thought Tigris. Can’t blame them. Not being able to remember what’s happened to you… It’s terrifying.

  “What’s the next thing you remember?” she asked.

  “Waking up in Pitt Prison.” Same answer as the others.

  Miller stepped around the desk and helped the man to stand. “Thank you. That’s all for now.” He took the man’s arm for support and led him from the office.

  Tigris sat by herself and waited for the last prisoner.

  At least we know these people are innocent, she thought. I am helping clear them for Underground protection. But what is this? It’s like their memories have been blocked. It’s not the same as what I’ve experienced. I simply can’t remember – I never feel like I’m hitting a wall.

  Her gaze drifted around the abandoned principal’s office.

  I don’t get it, she thought. None of the other un-factors I’ve met have been like this, so I don’t think the Magi are responsible. That means… Someone did this to them when they were rearrested and sent to Pitt. But how?

  When Miller reentered the office, he ushered in Andrya, a dark-skinned woman Tigris had interviewed earlier. She now carried her young son, who had a bandage wrapped around his arm. Andrya sat across the desk from Tigris. The boy snuggled into her lap and looked around fearfully.

  Miller bent to whisper to Tigris. “She wouldn’t agree unless she was present. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “No, it’s fine.” Tigris looked at the boy and smiled, glancing at Andrya to make sure it was okay. “What’s your name?”

  “Malik.” The boy held his arm and pressed into his mother for comfort.

  “Is your arm okay, Malik?”

  “Yes. The soldier put this on it.” He pointed at his bandage.

  Tigris smiled. “Malik, I’m trying to understand what happened to you, your mom, and the others, but I’m having a hard time. You can help me. If you think real hard, I might be able to see something in your memories that can help. Would that be okay?”

  Malik’s eyes widened, and he breathed harder as he clung to his mother. “My memories? That’s what the bad man wanted. You’re like the bad man!”

  Tigris sat back and looked at Andrya.

  Andrya held her son and tried to calm him. To Tigris, she said, “He keeps talking about a bad man, but I don’t know who he means.”

  “Malik,” Tigris tried again, “I won’t hurt you, I promise. I want to help. Who’s the bad man?”

  Malik looked up at his mother and, finding comfort there, faced Tigris again. “He wanted to see my memories too. He was with the soldiers who captured us.”

  This was new. “The Dominion soldiers? When you were captured at the portal?”

  He nodded. “They put us in their trucks and drove for a long time. I threw up. So did another lady. They made us get out of the truck so they could clean. When we were sitting in the dirt, the bad man came and talked to us.”

  Tigris looked at Andrya.

  “I don’t know.” The woman shrugged. “It’s like I told you – I remember factoring, going into the portals, and then waking up in Pitt Prison. Nothing more.”

  That’s all any of them remember, thought Tigris. Why is Malik different? Well, he’s the only child. Maybe more stuck in his memory because whatever was done to the rest of them didn’t work on him as well.

  “Malik, why did the bad man want to see your memories?”

  “He wanted…” Malik scrunched his face and tried to remember. “He wanted to see if we knew how we’d gotten better. He said he’d make it all go away.”

  Tigris looked up at Miller. “A telepath. A telepath blocked their memories so they couldn’t tell anyone what happened. The Dominion must know the Magi are using the DRK treatment, so they sent this telepath to cover it up.”

  Miller nodded and looked at the boy. “Did this bad man have a name?”

  “A soldier called him Counterstrike.”

  Tigris looked at Miller, but the name wasn’t familiar to him either.

  A telepath more powerful than me, she thought. That’s scary.

  “Why didn’t the bad man take your memories?” she asked the boy. “How do you remember when no one else can, not even your mom?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t remember being in the portal. Only coming out and
the soldiers capturing us.”

  “Would you let me look in your memories? I promise I won’t do anything like the bad man.”

  Still holding his arm, the boy looked back at her. “Okay.”

  Tigris focused on his eyes and entered his mind. Factoring. Shaking. Sweating. Losing hold of his mother as they’re herded into a transport. Fear as the transport lifts off and flies into the portal. Screaming as he floats and collides with the other factors. His mother snarls at him.

  Tigris hit the usual wall and felt his mind buck her out, but an instant later she entered his memories again. Lowering to the ground in a red light. He rolls over. The DuoPort is overhead. He sits up and sees his mother and a dozen others lying around him. Shouts. He looks ahead at Dominion soldiers running toward them. He crawls over and shakes his mother, and she stirs and opens her eyes. Soldiers grab them and wrench them apart. He cries out, and a soldier smacks him across the face so that he falls to the ground. He lands on a sharp rock and cuts his arm. A soldier grabs him and throws him in a truck. He looks back out of the truck and sees a soldier shoot a man who tries to escape. Then the doors close. He calls for his mother, but she isn’t there. The people with him are crying. He lurches against the side of the truck as it starts to drive. He sleeps. When he wakes up, the truck is still jostling, and he feels a burning in his throat and stomach. He throws up. A lady next to him throws up. The truck stops. Soldiers open the back of the truck and order them to climb out. They do, and it’s nighttime outside. He looks around for his mother and sees her sitting in the dirt next to another truck. He tries to run over to her, but a soldier stops him and shoves him to sit. He watches as a man in a suit kneels in front of a prisoner a short distance away. The man in the suit talks to the prisoner, then touches the prisoner’s forehead. The prisoner falls over, asleep. The bad man in the suit moves to the next prisoner, touches her forehead, and she also falls asleep. When the scary man finally kneels in front of Malik, the boy can’t see his face. The man says that he wants to see Malik’s memories. Malik is too afraid and cries, and the man says he has to cooperate or else he will hurt Malik’s mother. A soldier behind the man calls him Counterstrike and asks if he’s finished yet. Counterstrike faces Malik, and Malik can’t see his face but feels something hurt in his head. Counterstrike touches Malik’s forehead, and Malik falls over asleep. He wakes up, with his mother, in a huge prison building.